Background: Lumbar disc degeneration (LDD) is a common musculoskeletal disorder that frequently causes low back pain (LBP). In addition to the discomfort of lower back pain, it can accompany pain in one or both legs. The lumbar spine and sacrum, consisting of five vertebrae and one bone, determine the spine's balance. Microelements are essential in bone metabolism and are associated with the prevention of osteoporosis and the alleviation of musculoskeletal pain. Objectives: To examine the correlation between lumbar spinal surgery and the concentrations of microelements, namely zinc and copper. Methods: A case-control study was conducted in Ghazi Al-Hariri Hospital in Baghdad, Iraq, during the period from October 2023 to January 2024. The study included 120 participants ranging in age from 18 to 70 years. Sixty participants underwent lumbar spine surgery and were diagnosed using X-rays or MRI scans. The other 60 were healthy controls. The zinc (Zn) and copper (Cu) levels in the blood were determined using an atomic absorption spectrometer. The body mass index (BMI) was determined using the formula: BMIg/m2 = weight/height2. Results: The patients had a lower mean zinc level (57.3 ± 14.56 Mmol/L) and a higher mean copper level (106.6 ± 39.41 Mmol/L) in comparison to healthy controls (96.4 ± 17.38 Mmol/L) and (61.0 ± 9.53 Mmol/L), respectively There was a weak relationship and a significant correlation between copper and zinc (r = -0.2). A very strong relationship and a significant correlation between copper and Cu / Zn ratio (r = 0.85) while zinc had a significant very strong correlation relationship with Cu / Zn ratio (r = -0.7) in patients. Conclusion: The present study underscores the noteworthy association between microelements (Cu, Zn) and degenerative lumbar discs, underscoring the significance of pre-operative evaluation in achieving the best possible surgical results. The study has demonstrated the utility of measuring serum zinc level and copper level, especially their link with lumbar disc degeneration (LDD) markers of patients undergoing lumbar spinal surgery.
Neuro-ophthalmology, bridging neurology and ophthalmology, highlights the nervous system’s crucial role in vision, encompassing afferent and efferent pathways. The evolution of this field has emphasized the importance of neuroanatomy for precise surgical interventions, presenting educational challenges in blending complex anatomical knowledge with surgical skills. This review examines the interplay between neuroanatomy and surgical practices in neuro-ophthalmology, aiming to identify educational gaps and suggest improvements.
A literature search across databases such as PubMed, Scopus, and W
Osteoarthritis is the most prevalent arthritic disease and a leading cause of disability. The pathogenesis of osteoarthritis involves multiple etiologies, including variable degree of synovial inflammation. Metformin and pioglitazone could potentially reduce the levels and activity of inflammatory mediators. This may consider as a new therapeutic approach added to the current used drugs in an attempt to decrease the pain, inflammation, and improve daily activity and quality of life in patients with knee osteoarthritis.
This study designed to evaluate the clinical utility of using metformin or pioglitazone as anti-inflammatory agents in combination with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID) of selective type of cyclooxygen
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The purpose of this research is to develop a proposed framework for achieving the Integration of the Target Cost and Resource Consumption Accounting Techniques and to show the role they play in reducing products costs and supporting the competitive advantage to cope with contemporary changes. To achieve this goal, the researchers followed the analytical method using the statistical questionnaire as a means of collecting data from the research sample include accounting, administrative, technical, engineering staffs and others. The research sample consists of (56) individuals and for the purpose of conducting statistical analysis of the data and testing hypotheses, the statistical program (SPSS) wa
... Show MoreBackground: viruses are responsible for a large proportion of lower respiratory tract infections (LRTIs). Other causes of LRTIs are bacteria: Streptococcus pneumoniae, Haemophilus influenzae, Klebsiella pneumoniae, and Staphylococcus aureus being the most common. Sputum samples are commonly used in the microbiological laboratory for diagnosing lower respiratory infections. Objective: The aim of this study to evaluate the causative bacteria and antibiotics sensitivity in culture of sputum samples. Patients Methods: A retrospective study performed in the microbiology department of Al Immamin Al Kahdimin Medical laboratory in Baghdad. The results of sput
... Show MoreThe relationship between chronic hepatitis B virus and Helicobacter pylori infection was evaluated to determine, seventy five patients with chronic hepatitis B infection (8-70 years) were investigated. The results were compared with the results of 50 healthy volunteers. Anti-H. pylori antibodies IgA and IgG were measured by Indirect fluorescent antibody test (IFAT) in sera of patients and healthy groups. The percentage of anti-H.pylori IgA antibodies (26.67%) were significantly (P<0.01) higher than healthy control group. While, no significant difference was found between the percentages of anti-H. pylori IgG antibodies (48 %) in patient sera and these kind of antibodies in sera of healthy control group (P > 0.05). The present results indica
... Show MoreThe study conducted to investigate the association between Helicobacter pylori infection and eye diseases (Glaucoma, Cataract, CSR and Uveitis). One hundred and four patients with multiple eye disorders (10-80) years were observed from 10/9/2020 to 18/11/2020 and compared to thirty-one healthy people (19 female and 12 male). Each participant was tested for H. pylori CagAAbs and TNF-α using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The results have shown that there was a non-significant difference (p≥0.05) in the concentration of CagAantibodies in sera of patients with eye diseases except in the case of CSR (central serous chorioretinopathy), which was a significant difference (P≤0.05) compared to the control group. Also, the result
... Show MoreThis study aimed to identify the changes in total protein in saliva and sera samples of patients with oral squamous cell carcinoma in comparison to those of healthy controls. These changes were followed using electrophoresis (PAGE). Meanwhile, determinations of albumin, globulin and albumin to globulin ratio were carried out on sera samples only.Two groups were the participants in the present study, 18 patients with Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma (OSCC), and 20 ages and gender matched healthy controls.
It was aimed to understand the interleukin-4 (IL-4) role in etio-pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Two approaches were adopted. In the first one, a quantitative expression of IL4 gene was assessed by reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR), and such findings were correlated with some demographic, clinical and laboratory parameters, which included gender, duration of disease, disease activity score (DAS-28), rheumatoid factors (RFs), C-reactive protein (CRP) and anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide (ACCP) antibodies. In the second approach, a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) of IL4 gene (rs2243250) was inspected by DNA sequencing using specific primers. Fifty-one Iraqi RA patients (22 males and 29 fem
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